· supporting the head and staff as well as challenging their expectations

· accounting to all stakeholders for the school's overall performance and for the decisions they have made.

The governors work closely with the head teacher and staff. We make decisions about the school collectively as a team, and we delegate many decisions to individuals including the Head Teacher, or to committees which deal with specific activities such as teachers' pay and pupil admissions. We conduct our work through meetings, using relevant papers, guidance and advice from the Head Teacher, through visits to the school to observe, support and talk to staff, and through involvement in other school activities such as assemblies, and special activities.

Types of Governor and their Roles.

We currently have five different types of Governor, plus one Associate and the Clerk. Each has a different role, as described below.

Parent Governors

Parents, including carers, of pupils can be elected as governors, and are elected by other parents at the school. If insufficient parents stand for election, the governing body may appoint parents.

Staff Governors

The head teacher is a staff governor by virtue of their office. Other paid staff, both teaching and support, may become governors but volunteers do not qualify. Staff governors are elected by the school staff.

Authority Governors

Local Authorities are encouraged to appoint high-calibre governors to schools that need the most support and to appoint candidates irrespective of any political affiliation or preference. Authorities may appoint minor authority representatives, e.g. district and parish councillors, as authority governors.

Foundation Governors

Foundation governors are appointed by the school's founding body, in our case the Catholic Diocese of Brentwood and the parish of the Blessed Sacrament Church, as named in the school's instrument of government. These Governors must preserve and develop the religious character of the school. They must also ensure compliance with the trust deed, if there is one.

Associate Members (who are not technically Governors)

Associate members are appointed by the governing body to attend meetings to give the benefit of their particular skills or experience.

The Clerk to the Governors (who is also not a Governor)

The Clerk is appointed by the governing body. Their main responsibility is to make sure that the work of the governing body is well organised. The clerk to the full governing body may or may not also be appointed as clerk to any or all of the committees. Some local authorities (LAs) offer a paid clerking service to governing bodies.

There are two other types of Governors, of which there are currently none at St Pius:

Community governors can be appointed by the governing body, to represent community interests, who live or work in the community or who are committed to the good governance and success of the school even though they do not work or live close to it.

Sponsor governors can be appointed by the governing body, who either give substantial assistance to the school, financially or in kind, or who provide services to the school.

These notes are based on the guidance provided on the Department for Education website about Governors and about the role of the Clerk.